A 47-year-old Port Orchard man is facing arson, assault, burglary, and malicious mischief charges after allegedly riding a golf cart with a dog to a stranger's garage, torching the door frame with a blowtorch and an aerosol accelerant, then trying to run down the neighbor who confronted him. The blaze caused an estimated $150,000 to $175,000 in structural damage and destroyed an adjacent vehicle worth $25,000, bringing total losses to roughly $200,000.
The confrontation unfolded on Tuesday in unincorporated Port Orchard, according to KIRO 7 News Seattle. Dan Carlson and his wife spotted a golf cart and flames near a neighbor's house and rushed over, with Carlson eventually cornering the suspect in a driveway after the man got the cart out of a ditch he'd driven it into. Investigators with the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office determined the suspect ignited the garage door frame using a blowtorch combined with an aerosol spray canister filled with flammable liquid, a detail confirmed on home surveillance footage.
Per the KIRO 7 account, the standoff turned physical fast. The suspect pointed the blowtorch at Carlson and approached him with it, coming close enough to burn Carlson's shirt, then tried to run him over with the golf cart. Carlson grabbed onto the cart and its wheel and tussled with the man, who at one point told him to back off and get away and separately claimed he was with the fire department.
A Homeowner Asleep Just Feet From the Flames
The homeowner whose garage was set ablaze was asleep inside when the fire started and got up about 10 minutes before it really got going, according to KOMO News. He escaped unharmed and told investigators he did not know the suspect or why his home was targeted. Carlson rang the homeowner's doorbell a couple of times during the chaos, while his wife called 911 as the situation escalated across the street from where Carlson lives.
The suspect briefly returned down the road before a Washington State Patrol trooper arrived moments later and detained him, after Carlson flagged the trooper down. The sheriff's office led the primary investigation while the state trooper handled the physical arrest, the agency said in a statement reported by NEWStalk 870. Carlson later said he was simply waiting for help to arrive when he held the man until backup showed up.
Suspect Told Investigators He Was Burning Items on His Own Property
Investigators say the suspect claimed he was burning items on his own property, and they believe he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time, per the same investigators cited by KIRO 7. He was booked on suspicion of arson, assault, burglary, and malicious mischief, and is expected to appear in court on Friday.
The charges carry serious weight under Washington law. First-degree arson is a Class A felony under Revised Code 9A.48.020, punishable by up to life imprisonment and a $50,000 fine, applying when a fire is maliciously set in an occupied dwelling or endangers human life, according to the Washington State Legislature. Second-degree assault involving a deadly weapon, which covers the blowtorch used against Carlson, is a Class B violent felony carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Still, standard sentencing guidelines for a first-time first-degree arson conviction in Washington typically fall between 21 and 27 months in state prison, according to the Law Office of Steve Graham, though additional charges can lengthen that term.
Not the First Fire Scare in South Kitsap This Summer
Intentional fires aren't new to South Kitsap. The sheriff's office has previously handled a February 2024 juvenile arrest tied to a multi-site arson involving a storage unit and a residence, as well as an October 2018 case involving lit propane tanks placed under trash cans. The garage fire also comes on the heels of a brush fire that knocked out power for 22,000 customers along the Cushman Trail in late July, which had already prompted local fire officials to issue burn safety warnings across the region.
Carlson's decision to physically intervene also fits a pattern local readers may recognize. Just weeks earlier, a passerby dove into Sinclair Inlet to pull a driver from a submerged pickup before first responders arrived, part of what appears to be a run of South Kitsap residents stepping in during emergencies rather than waiting on the sidelines. Open questions remain about the suspect's legal representation, what happens at Friday's arraignment, and any toxicology findings, none of which have been publicly resolved.
